1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for projecting luminous lines from a laser beam source. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus for projecting lines of light by diverging a laser beam at wide angles, wherein the laser beam is emitted from a single source.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has been the common practice to employ a polygonal mirror rotated at a high speed, on which a laser beam is cast so as to reflect the beam in desired directions. However, this arrangement calls for a complicated device whereby the mirror is rotated at a high speed. In addition, such arrangement is not applicable when information must be transmitted at a high speed to electronic appliances, because the divergence of the laser beams is only derived from the moving reflection points on the mirror. There is another device known in the art, in which a cylindrical lens is employed to enable the laser beam to refract therethrough at a small angle. However, the application of this device is limited because of the incapability of obtaining a refraction at wide angles.